Three Days
by Alwayselegant
Summary: This story fills in some of the details about Bella and Edward's weekend in Jacksonville with Renee. Set after chapter 2 of Eclipse.
1. Chapter 1

As mad as I was at Edward for putting me on the spot with Charlie I was a bit excited at the prospect of seeing my mother. It had been so long since I'd seen Renee. But at the same time something in the back of my mind kept bugging me about the timing of the whole thing. 

Why had Edward been so insistent on my going to Jacksonville this weekend? Why couldn't he have been a little more patient with Charlie? I really hated fighting with Charlie. I was probably over thinking the entire thing. After all Edward had been stuck on house arrest right along with me. 

Surely I could understand his desire to get away. I decided not to dwell on it any longer. I began to look forward to Friday. Edward called the airlines to redeem the vouchers that Esme and Carlisle had given me. Of course Edward was right about Esme's reaction to my use of their gift. She was overjoyed that we would be going to Florida. 

Alice seemed disappointed that Edward got to "celebrate" my new found freedom with me and she didn't. I felt a little guilty so I promised her that we would go shopping in Portland or Tacoma very soon. I must have been forgiven since she quickly began planning what I should pack for my weekend at Renee's. 

With a detailed packing list from Alice in hand I walked downstairs to say my goodbyes. There was no need to push my limits with Charlie any further than I already had. I swear I must be getting paranoid. It seemed like everyone stopped talking when I entered the living room. Esme and Rosalie quickly exited the room. Jasper nodded his goodbye and presumably headed up to Alice's room. 

Were they talking about me? I wonder if I asked Edward about it if he would tell me the truth. As I was deciding whether or not to say anything I met Edward's eyes. He was there at the foot of the stairs smiling a stunning smile. He reached out for my hand and pulled me close to him and held my gaze for a long moment. At this point I'm not sure that I could remember my name let alone what it was that I was about to say. "Let's get you home. Charlie will be waiting." I waved to Emmet and Carlisle and we left. 

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The remainder of the week passed quickly. Friday morning arrived without incident. I was awakened by Edward voice "Good morning, my love." Waking up this way was so much better than using an alarm clock. I could stay here in his arms all day. I turned to face Edward and wrapped my arms around his neck. I could swear that he was able to read my thoughts in that moment. Maybe it was my facial expression that gave me away.

"Ah my love, we'll have time for that later. I'll be back to take you to the airport after Charlie has left for work." I was only briefly disappointed. I knew that Charlie would be leaving soon. "Ok, ok. I guess I should get up and get dressed." I grabbed my bathroom bag and turned for the door. Edward grabbed my wrist and pulled it up to his face. He inhaled my scent and kissed my hand. He was gone before I could blink.

With my toiletry bag in hand, I made my way to the bathroom. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I dismissed the feeling almost immediately. I chalked it up to the rather uneventful nature of this week. For once Bella, the danger magnet, was able to live the normal life of a teenager. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something about "normal" wasn't quite right. That nagging feeling along with my remaining sleepiness was washed away by the warm water of the shower. I tried to hurry so that I wouldn't keep Edward waiting.

Charlie was waiting for me at the table when I walked into the kitchen. The look on his face made me panic. It was clear that he wanted to get something off of his chest. I slumped down into the chair. _Oh please don't let this be another sex talk._

I thought this conversation had been completed the other night. Before I could get too worked up he cleared his throat and began to speak. "I can't say that I'm excited by the prospect of you spending the weekend with Edward." I grimaced. "I'm not spending the weekend _**with**_ Edward dad. I'm going to visit mom. I thought we were clear on all of this." 

"Bells, I just worry about you. I want you to be safe. Promise you'll be careful." He sounded truly concerned. "There is nothing to worry about dad. We'll have adult supervision the entire weekend. I promise I will call as soon as we get to Jacksonville. I'll be back on Sunday." 

That seemed to be enough to satisfy him. Charlie finished his breakfast. After he rinsed off his plate he walked over and patted me on the head before he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. Edward would be here soon so I got up and grabbed a pop tart and went to gather up my things.

Charlie had not been gone more than a few minutes when Edward arrived. He knocked on the door although he knew I was home alone. As usual my heart, which immediately began to misbehave, reacted first. The thumping in my ears made it difficult to concentrate on breathing. Although I knew Edward had only been gone for less than hour it seemed much longer than that. He greeted me with a kiss that literally left me breathless. It was over far too quickly for my liking.

As I finished off my pop tart Edward looked at me with disapproving eyes. "Is that all you're having for breakfast?" I shrugged my shoulders at his question. I hadn't put too much thought into breakfast. I'd simply grabbed the easiest thing. "We'll pick something up for you when we get to Seattle" he stated. That was fine with me so I nodded in agreement. 

He quickly grabbed my bag and put it into his car. I locked up the house and walked down the driveway to the Volvo. Edward took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was at that moment that the gravity of this weekend hit me like the proverbial "ton of bricks". Until this very moment I had given no thought to what it would be like to have Renee and her curiosity in such close proximity to Edward for such an extended period of time. 

To keep from being overcome by panic I shifted my attention out of the window of the Volvo. It would do me no good to freak out in front of Edward. At the speed he drove it was difficult to make out much of the scenery except things in the distance. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Eclipse" and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 2

I should not have been surprised by our first class accommodations. I don't know why I expected anything different from Edward or his "parents". The Cullens' "long term" investments have provided them with more money than I care to think about. Their extreme wealth is just another in the long list of things that make my relationship with Edward inherently unequal. 

As we stood there collecting the bags, I heard it - Renee squealed with delight as she caught site of us next to the baggage claim carousel. A small groan escaped my lips. Edward gave my hand a gentle squeeze to reassure me. That same sense of panic that I tried to ignore on the way to the airport was back. To say I was worried about Edward and Renee spending so much time together over the weekend was a major understatement. She had come to Forks and seen me at my worst after Edward left. Charlie was nowhere close to forgiving Edward for the pain he'd caused me, hopefully Renee would be different. I would have my answer shortly…

Renee and Phil made their way over to us. Edward introduced himself to Phil. I could see from the way Phil looked at Edward, he was sizing him up. I wondered to myself just what Renee had told Phil about our situation. Renee greeted me with a hug which I returned with a great deal of enthusiasm. It had been a long time since I'd seen her. I really did miss my mother more than I'd previously thought. 

As she released me I looked at Renee to see her reaction to Edward's presence. When he extended his hand to shake hers, she took it and grabbed him into a hug as well. I quickly glanced from Renee to Edward and noticed the surprise that colored his facial expression. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Things were starting to look up.

Then I reached over and gave Phil a hug as he playfully ruffled my hair. Phil grabbed my bag as Edward got his and we made our way to the car.

On the drive from the airport to the house, Renee played "tour guide" by pointing out various Jacksonville landmarks and points of interest. We really couldn't see much of what she pointed out due to the rain that allowed our arrival during daylight hours.

Renee's excitement grew as we neared the subdivision. "I can't wait for you to see the house. You're going to love it. Did I mention that your room has its own bathroom?" It felt odd to hear Renee refer to the room at her house as "mine". In every since of the word, Forks is where I considered "home" to be. 

I nodded at Renee's comment and continued to look out the window as we turned into the driveway. The house was completely adorable just as Renee had described it. I could easily see why she fell in love with it.

As soon as we entered the house, Renee began to show Edward and me around. Phil teased her about all of the DIY projects she'd started but had yet to complete. He kissed her goodbye as he grabbed his gym bag and headed out the door. Phil had taken the morning off to meet us at the airport. Although an assistant coach was there, he needed to get back to the school before the varsity practice began. It was good to see then tease each other and that they were still happy. 

Renee showed us around the cute little kitchen; she pointed out her spice garden on the window sill. The little garden was surprisingly green given Renee's lack of a green thumb. She had difficulty keeping a cactus alive.

I heard a buzzing noise coming from Edward's direction. As he placed the phone to his ear I wondered who was on the other end. Maybe Alice had seen something about the weather. I tried to read his expression. It was vaguely familiar. It took me a second, but I recognized it as the same look he had after Alice's vision at lunch about Jasper earlier in the week. Hopefully everything was alright with his family. Edward excused himself into the other room and Renee grabbed my hand and led me through the rest of the house. I would have to wait until he and I had a moment alone to ask him about what was happening back in Forks. Unlike the last time I would be careful not to let my imagination get the better of me.

* * *

Edward and I had previously discussed how much of our physical relationship should be revealed to Renee during our visit. We'd decided that it would be best if we kept everything very "G" rated and parent-friendly. 

I figured that it would appear very normal and appropriate for me to take my bag to my bedroom and unpack without Edward's assistance. I would need to be quick about it; I couldn't help but think that it was not a good idea to leave Renee and Edward alone too long.

I was right but I sure wished I hadn't been. 

When I returned to the family room I found Edward and Renee seated casually on the sofa. Renee was asking about Carlisle, Alice and the rest of the family. The conversation seemed harmless enough.

Plopping down into the recliner, I thumbed through the mind-numbing assortment of magazines in a nearby basket. How could Renee possibly have time to read all of these? Phil wasn't much of a reader so I doubted that any of them belonged to him.

What appeared to be idle small talk continued when I noticed a strange expression flit across Edward's face. It made me wonder what he gleaned from Renee's thoughts. Trying to remain calm, I considered the possibilities. Had she noticed his frigid body temperature or the hardness of his skin?

I listened more intently that I had earlier. Renee remarked about the purplish circles under his eyes. Before I had time to fully comprehend what she was saying it was out of her mouth. "Bella had some just like this when she was in the first grade."

Good grief, she wasn't going to tell that story was she! I rolled my eyes as the realization hit me that indeed she was. In the same instant she was up off the sofa and looking through the bookshelves that lined the south wall.

Edward looked slightly puzzled as he glanced from Renee to me and back. I was going to die of embarrassment at that very moment. 

"Ah, here it is." Renee said as she produced one of my childhood photo albums. I would have to think fast in order to avert this crisis. There was no way to know how much Edward had already seen in her mind. I leapt up from the recliner in an attempt to stop what was about to happen.

Unfortunately my coordination issues decided to surface at this crucial moment and instead of springing from my perch on the recliner and relieving Renee of the damaging evidence contained in the photo album, my pant leg somehow became snagged on the foot rest and I was propelled toward the coffee table. Surely I was about to maim myself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Eclipse" and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 3

I should have known that there was no way that Edward would allow me to injure myself. But as a my body was unwillingly propelled on a sure collision with the coffee table, I couldn't reassure myself. All I knew was that the impact would result in yet another trip to the emergency room.

I can't explain what actually happened. Edward must have saved me but I didn't feel a thing. One second I was hurtling across the living room and the next I was standing upright in its center. All the while Edward appeared not to have moved a muscle. Thankfully it was too fast for Renee to see as well.

"What is wrong with you Bella? Renee asked as she proceed to the sofa with that blasted memory book in her hands. I made a futile attempt to look less like an idiot and took a seat.

Edward's facial expression began to change. His initial look of alarm (surely provoked by my seemingly odd behavior) began to fade as Renee made her way to the sofa where Edward was seated. Slowly the edges of his mouth began to curl upward. Obviously Renee's memories had betrayed me and he was valiantly trying not to laugh. Ugh! Surely Edward was getting the entire story, embarrassing details and all, from her thoughts.

Knowing it was already a lost cause, I decided to try and save face as best I could. "Mom, it looks like it has stopped raining. Maybe we could go for a walk on the beach." Renee stopped just short of opening the album and said, "That is a great idea Bella. I can't wait to show you the beach. It is absolutely amazing."

It became apparent to me that Edward was not going to let me off so easily. I could see him unleashing the full power of his eyes on poor Renee. She never knew what hit her. In his sweetest and most innocent voice Edward said, "Are there any pictures of Bella in that album?" That was all it took, she was like putty in his hand after that. This was going to be a long weekend.

I'm not sure which was worse, having to listen while Renee recounted -in excruciating detail- the events of that fateful day so long ago. Or knowing that Edward now knew those details. My run in with Wanda was just one of the many of my childhood memories that I had successfully suppressed. Yet here I was in my mother's house being forced to relive the entire sorted affair.

Renee slowly opened the book of photos and keepsakes. At first glance it looked as if she'd saved every finger painting, macaroni bracelet and other school project I'd ever brought home. Renee could be quite sentimental sometimes.

She flipped through the first few pages, pausing just long enough for Edward to see each page. I chose not to join them on the sofa. I wanted to have a clear view of Edward's face and his reaction.

"Ah, here it is." I cringed again when she said those words. "See Edward, you reminded me of this picture". A stifled groan escaped my mouth. Both Renee and Edward looked up at me.

She continued, "That is not to say that your circles were a bad as Bella's black eyes...Are you sure you're getting enough sleep? I just saw a news special about teenagers and sleep..."

In an effort to keep Renee on track, Edward asked "What happened to Bella?" While I could see right through Edward's false concern, Renee could not. She proceeded to spill her guts about the whole thing.

Now that I think about it, I've been a magnet for bad things much longer than the time I've spent in Forks. Apparently I was attracting danger all the way back to first grade. Dangerous is exactly how I would describe Wanda Hall.

Wanda was in the 3rd grade at the time but she was bigger even than most of the boys in the 5th grade. Not only was she big, but she was mean-really mean. There was not a day that went by the Wanda was not picking on someone or beating them up.

I've never been one for confrontation. So it goes without saying that I made a point to stay away from Wanda. Avoiding her became increasingly more difficult once her mother and Renee joined the same pottery class. The two of them began talking and discovered that they were both single mothers of young daughters.

I was never sure if it was at the insistence of Renee or Mrs. Hall, but there was an effort put forth to get Wanda and I to become friends. There were outings to the park, to get ice cream and a few awkward play dates. It was obvious to me, if not to either of them, why Wanda had no other friends.

I found myself faced with a difficult choice. I could have told my mother about the real Wanda. The one who would break my toys, pinch my arms and was always mean to me. My other choice was to keep quiet about it and allow Renee to remain friends with Mrs. Hall. It was an easy decision for me.

Of course Renee mentioned none of this to Edward, because she knew nothing about it. She instead told him about how I "accidentally" tripped over Wanda's foot (that girl had feet the size of Shaquille Oneal) while at school and fell flat onto my face. Given my proclivity to clumsiness, it seemed very possible that I would indeed trip and give myself two black eyes and a knot on my forehead. But this time it was Wanda's doing, not mine. She had tripped me on purpose and laughed as she did it.

To make matters worse, this episode happened just three days before school pictures. I could feel the heat rise through my neck and ears then across my face as she recounted to Edward all of the black eye home remedies we tried so that I wouldn't look like the loser in a heavy weight boxing match (the tooth fairy had already paid for one of my front teeth) for my school pictures. Renee laughed more and more as she remember each failed attempt.

So there in every 1994-95 Belmont Elementary yearbook was my picture complete with not one, but two black eyes and a knot on my forehead the size of Wisconsin. It was completely humiliating then and now Edward knew all about it.

I chanced a look over at him. I could see that he was greatly amused by the whole thing. How would I ever be able to live this down? What if he told Emmett? Oh, no! Alice probably saw this entire conversation before it ever happened. I bet she told Emmett and they are all having a huge laugh at my expense. Of course this would not be the first time, but still... I wanted to keep at least some of my dignity in tact.

The telephone rang in the kitchen. Renee left to answer it leaving Edward and me alone. He was at my side in a flash. Surely he could tell I was upset and embarrassed. He brushed the back of his hand across my cheek and looked at me with repentant eyes.

"Bella, please don't be angry with me. I know you didn't want Renee to show me those pictures, but I want to know all about your life before me including the things that you find embarrassing." He smiled and as usual I couldn't stay angry, but I did continue to pout for effect.

"First Renee commented about the circles under my eyes and then the next thing I hear were her thoughts about you. I saw only bits and pieces so I wanted her to explain what I was seeing. Please don't be angry with me. I would like Renee to share more stories from you childhood, would you be okay with that?"

What was I going to tell him? No?! How could I ever refuse him anything when he looked at me through his lashes that way? I sighed and nodded in defeat. This is going to be the longest weekend of my life.

AN: Let me start off by apologizing for not updating sooner. Don't fear, Chapter four is about half done. Just in case you were wondering, there really was a Wanda. When I was in first grade this exact thing happened to me. I've got the photos to prove it.


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